


Of Jarls and Jul

by Katzedecimal



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Gen, Holidays, Winter Solstice, Yuletide, maeshowe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katzedecimal/pseuds/Katzedecimal
Summary: The winter solstice, the longest night of the yearThe winter solstice, when the sun's dying rays light the passage of stoneThe winter solstice, when a demon and an angel remember long ago
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	Of Jarls and Jul

“It’s certainly more crowded than the last time I was here,” Crowley commented, accepting a cup of hot mulled cider from Aziraphale. 

“Oh?” Aziraphale looked around at the crowd of people gathered in the chamber and around the entrance of the cairn, “What brought you to Maeshowe?”

“What else, got assigned a temptation,” Crowley shrugged, “It was Orkahaugr, then. The band I was with got caught in a sudden storm and had to break in to find shelter for a while.”

Aziraphale frowned, “Orkahaugr? As in the Orkneyinga Saga? You were part of that group of Norsemen?” Crowley nodded. Aziraphale smiled then turned to look at the runes carved into the wall nearest him, “So which of these is yours?”

Crowley looked far too innocent, “What makes you think I carved any runes?”

“Because I seem to remember you once scaling up a cliff so you could write ‘This is very high.’”

“They’re still trying to work out how I did that,” Crowley chuckled. 

“So did you carve any of these runes?”

“I did not carve any runes.”

Aziraphale pursed his lips - that seemed rather unlike Crowley. He put it aside to contemplate later. “I’m surprised you were with the Norsemen. Did they not come to Orkney to spread Christendom to the locals?”

“Oh yeah! - by the sword! My lot **loved** that sort of thing, the Crusades, the whole lot. Absolutely fertile ground for ambition, power hunger, every sin you can name! That’s why I got the assignment!” Crowley smirked, “Hell wanted the Earldom of Orkney disrupted for Satan knows whatever reason, so they sent me to tempt the Earl Thorfinn or one of his sons. I found it a lot easier to tempt his daughter-in-law Ragnhild. She was definitely one of ours, soul absolutely chock full of ambition, Greed, and Lust. Turned out to be, well nowadays they’d call her a serial killer, black-widow style. Got husband after husband killed off, managed to wipe out most of Thorfinn’s family.” He made a face, “Little bit **too** successful, that mission.”

Aziraphale frowned, “Come to think of it, I think I had an assignment in Orkney at around that time but I was delayed due to circumstances.”

Crowley thought about that, “So… you were supposed to be there to thwart me?”

“Very probably, yes,” Aziraphale nodded, “Yes, I think so. I recall I got here very late. I do seem to recall that Ragnhild was on her…” He counted on his fingers, “Third husband at the time? I think that’s what it was. Might have been fourth but I think Liot was third.”

“Oh, you’d have just missed me, then,” Crowley nodded, “Once I’d set that all in motion, I wasn’t sticking around, I just wanted out of there. Too cold and damp for that.” He frowned, “It’s a pity, that was one time I was actually hoping you’d show up and thwart me.”

Aziraphale looked surprised and about to ask why, then suddenly remembered, “Ah… Another Caligula?”

Crowley looked away but nodded, “Honestly, they didn’t even need to send me. She’d have done it all herself.”

“I’m sorry,” Aziraphale said softly. He looked around at the chamber and the excited people gathering and the golden light outside as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. Then he noticed something on the wall behind him. “Is that my sword?”

“Hmm?” Oh Crowley looked **far** too innocent. Aziraphale leaned to take a closer look.

“Oh, the Maeshowe Dragon!” the guide chirped. She launched into her prepared speech about the artwork carved into the wall. Despite having legs, it bore a very stylised and embellished resemblance to a certain serpent of Aziraphale’s acquaintance. 

“It **is** my sword, isn’t it,” Aziraphale whispered, over the sound of the guide chattering about the sword in the dragon representing the triumph of Christianity over the pagan religion indigenous to Orkney. “The carving is absolutely lovely, my dear,” he said quietly, “But why does it depict you being penetrated by my sword-” He broke off, blinking, then took a closer look and sucked in a sharp breath, shooting Crowley a Look. Crowley didn’t look at him. “ _Ah!_ \- bit of wishful thinking?”

“We were trapped for several days,” Crowley said, exasperated, “Read some of the other runes and you’ll see what I had to put up with.”

“Yes, I noticed that the one about Thorni is rather bowdlerized from what it actually says,” Aziraphale sniffed, “The fact that Helgi was carving runes tells me rather a lot about Thorni’s prowess and technique.” Crowley nearly sprayed his cider.

The sun sank low towards the hills. A brilliant shaft of light stabbed down the passage to blaze against the wall. Aziraphale and Crowley both faced it together. It widened as the sun sank lower until it filled the chamber with deep golden light. The sun sank behind one distant hill, emerged into the gap carved between it and its neighbour, and sank behind the second hill. The sequence caused the light in the chamber to flash. Aziraphale breathed out, feeling a profound satisfaction as the light dimmed and faded for the final time. Beside him, he felt Crowley filled with a similar deep peace as the darkness closed in. 

They didn’t speak. They waited while the chamber slowly emptied, people filing out now that the spectacle of the winter solstice sunset had ended, marking the start of the longest night of the year. They stayed in the dark womb of stones, in communion with their deep memory of earth, until the last of the light had faded. They were the only ones left and the guide was starting to clear her throat. 

They found each other’s eyes even in the dark. Aziraphale smiled and tipped his head, trusting Crowley to lead him through the darkness, back up the long passage and out into the world. The wind was cold. Above them, the Plough blazed but the southwest sky was hidden behind dark clouds. “Soon be a storm,” Crowley observed.

Aziraphale nodded. “We’ve to keep a candle burning all night, I recall.”

“Pretty sure that custom’s extinct now, Angel.”

“Perhaps. Still, the fireplace at our holiday home is lovely and you bought that splendid whiskey. I do hope you won’t be bored enough to carve any runes,” Aziraphale said, giving him a sly little look. 

Crowley, who’d been about to suggest holing up in a pub somewhere in the village, was suddenly very glad he’d finished the cider. He led the way back to the Bentley and held the passenger door open for Aziraphale. Aziraphale paused and took a small package from under his coat. Crowley tipped it into the dim light from the Bentley’s interior. The wrapping paper had jolly snakes wearing fur trimmed red hats on it. “What’s this?”

“One is supposed to put on something new to wear,” Aziraphale explained, “For good fortune.”

Crowley glanced at him and carefully opened the wrapping. Inside was a plushly soft cashmere scarf. “Tartan?”

Aziraphale bit his lip. “It’s black and red.”

It was indeed black and red. Also tartan. Crowley couldn’t help the indulgent smile spreading his lips or the melty feeling in his heart — Aziraphale would always be Aziraphale. He put the scarf around his neck, where it immediately blocked the cold and biting wind. “Thank you, Angel.”

He didn’t know whether Aziraphale’s smile lit the passage of Maeshowe. It might have done.

**Author's Note:**

> [Maeshowe](http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/maeshowe/index.html)  
> Most people know about Newgrange. Not as many know about Maeshowe, the passage grave in Orkney, Scotland. There used to be a webcam that would do live broadcasts of the sunsets every year but it's no longer functioning. [Here's one of the videos.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPNII19Qn4Y)
> 
> As you'll read on the linked page, Maeshowe was visited by Norsemen who carved runes into its walls. Some of them are highly amusing. People have always been people...
> 
> [Yule in the Northern Isles](http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/yule/yule7.htm)  
> A few of these traditions continue to live on, such as keeping a candle burning throughout the Long Night, pork or ham for supper, a good wash and something new to wear after. My family kept these traditions and I continue to practice them in my home with my own family.


End file.
